Business

A former chief executive of Aston Villa and Liverpool is a surprise contender to become the inaugural chairman of the government’s controversial football watchdog. Sky News can exclusively reveal that Christian Purslow, who left Villa Park in 2023, is on a three-person shortlist being considered by Whitehall officials to chair the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

The banking sector is “investing heavily” in digital platforms, according to the body which represents the country’s lenders as many face a backlash over the latest payday glitch chaos to hit customers. Millions were exposed on Friday to varying challenges from slow app or online banking performance to being blocked out of their accounts altogether.

The disgraced former chair of the Co-op Bank, Paul Flowers, has been jailed for three years on fraud charges. The 74-year old, who was forced out of the lender in 2013 amid claims of inappropriate expenses and illegal drugs allegations, admitted 18 counts of fraud worth nearly £100,000. Flowers, also a former Methodist minister, committed

In the next month or so, we’re expecting an independent commission to announce whether Manchester City will face any punishment over more than a hundred counts of alleged financial rule breaches. The club are facing around 115 charges laid by the Premier League which have been the subject to a hearing which has been held

Ed Woodward, the former Manchester United chief, has been approached about joining the vehicle which owns stakes in clubs including Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais. Sky News has learnt that Mr Woodward, who left Old Trafford in 2022, a year after United’s involvement in the ill-fated European Super League project, is being lined up as

Every Thursday we interview chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and more. Today we chat to chef Alex Navarro from Maray in Liverpool. My chef hero is…not a famous chef but my own dad, who is a very good cook, and also my father-in-law, who is Sicilian and also very

Income taxes will have to rise in order to plug Britain’s financial blackhole and allow for reforms, the former Bank of England governor has told Sky News. Lord Mervyn King told Sophy Ridge’s Politics Hub programme we should all recognise “the very difficult position” that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has “inherited”, as he pointed to slow

Donald Trump has said he will impose 25% tariffs on the EU “very soon” and claimed the bloc was “formed in order to screw the United States”. The US president made the remarks while holding his first cabinet meeting at the White House since his inauguration in January. The world’s richest man Elon Musk, who

Five years ago, BP’s chief executive did something very unusual for the boss of an oil and gas company – he pledged to produce less oil and gas.  Standing in front of the slogan “reimagine”, scrawled freehand and lowercase in a shade of green, Bernard Looney, the lean and charismatic then-leader of the British-based oil

The government has signalled that plans to bring a second runway at Gatwick into regular use will get the green light if environmental conditions are met. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “minded to approve” the airport’s plans, but the deadline for a decision has now been pushed back until the end of October.

Oil and gas giant BP has again slashed its renewable energy investment and announced more funding for greater fossil fuel production. In a further row back of climate targets the company has said renewable energy investment will fall by $5bn (£3.95bn) a year to just $1bn to $2bn (£790m to £1.58bn). Less than half that

Nigel Farage has given up sole control of Reform UK, with the party’s members now being “handed over ownership” following a vote last year, according to its chairman. The party, led by Mr Farage, was previously controlled by the Clacton MP as he held a majority of shares in the company. According to the party’s

What happens when you put a boyhood fan in charge of their club? They discover it’s not so simple to run after all. And the fans you sat with many years ago are as impatient as ever. Anger reverberates exactly a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS organisation gained day-to-day control of football

The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is exploring launching private criminal proceedings against NatWest Group over the debanking scandal which resulted in the lender’s former chief losing her job. Sky News has learnt that Mr Farage has instructed Chris Daw KC of Lincoln House Chambers to examine whether there are grounds for bringing a criminal

In The Style is on the brink of insolvency less than two years after the then London-listed online fashion retailer was forced into a fire sale to a family office investor. Sky News has learnt that FTS Recovery is being lined up to act as administrator to the company, which was founded by Adam Frisby

The world’s biggest theme park operator has begun exploring a sale of some of its aquarium assets as it seeks to prioritise investment in its biggest international sites. Sky News has learnt that Merlin Entertainments, which is jointly owned by the private equity giant Blackstone and the investment vehicle of the family behind the Lego

The Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has indicated the number of regulators overseeing British industry and commerce could be reduced as part of the government’s pursuit of economic growth. Speaking as he launched a consultation on the overhaul of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which regulates mergers and acquisitions, Mr Reynolds told journalists the number

Yes there are all sorts of provisos. The UK economy is still flatlining. A 0.1% expansion is about as close as you can get to zero. Gross domestic product per head – a better measure of our living standards – is shrinking (indeed, it’s been shrinking for two quarters). And the UK remains far weaker

The government is continuing to put Post Office victims through “hell” in their fight for redress, Sir Alan Bates has told Sky News. More than 240 former sub-postmasters are still waiting for financial compensation years after they won their High Court battle. Sir Alan’s comments come after another former sub-postmaster, Terry Walters from Wilmslow in

The UK economy grew fractionally during the final three months of 2024, according to early official figures, which ease the immediate risk of a recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 0.1% rise in gross domestic product (GDP) during the fourth quarter, with only a recovery for growth in Christmas spending and manufacturing